WK: Power of Nature - S3 - Episode 15 - Pinnipeds in Peril
by Taismo-89
Summary: Collab with Soul. On the Pacific coast line of Canada, the team encounters two different creature herds. However, the baby harp seal Flip and baby sea lion Flap get lost from their herds, and the nymph sisters must take them to their families and get back with their own.


The Tortuga swam through the cool waters of the Pacific coast of Canada. David stared out at the sea, a solemn look on his face. He still felt bad about Chroma, and wished the team could have saved her.

"Turn that frown upside down, matey! We're going up!" Aviva informed. She was dressed in her pirate captain costume. The Tortuga came out of the water.

"Land ho!" Mina, with Elsa warned. The two came up to the shell.

"Seals ahoy!" Martin in his buccaneer costume announced.

"Weigh anchor, argh!" Chris decreed. "Let's put this ship near land!"

"Aye aye!" Jimmy replied, landing the shop near the herd. The kids and teens chuckled at the childish antics.

"Ya dare laugh at us, ya sea pups?" Aviva playfully scolded.

"Ha-argh! We will have you walk the plank!" Ventus, dressed as a first mate, added.

"Okay, okay… but you're coming with me!" Mina pulled Martin close and jumped into the water.

"That was fun! Let's do it again!" Martin chuckled. Then, they heard a bark.

"Huh?" Mina looked behind. A baby sea lion was nearby them. "Aww… how cute!"

"A baby sea lion is here, guys!"

"Sea lion? I was sure it was a seal."

"Shiver me timbers, there's both of these blubbery creatures on this beach!" Chris pointed out. "Look at how many seals!"

"Actually, there are both seals and sea lions," Martin explained.

"What's the difference?" Mina asked. "The newbie in creatures here wants to know..."

"They're two different species," Chris said. "But they're both from the Pinniped family."

"Pinniped?" Ventus asked. "Sounds familiar..."

"It means "fin foot" in Latin, because they both have flippers for feet," Martin translated.

"Oh, that's right. Sorry, guess my Latin's getting rusty."

"But if you pay close attention, you'll notice that sea lions and seals DO have some differences between them," Martin explained.

"Sea lions can hold their heads up higher than seals, and they have small flaps for ears."

"Seals are more low to the ground and you can't really see their ears that well."

"Sea lions are loud."

"Seals vocalize with grunts, but are quieter."

"Sea lions can "walk" by rotating their flippers, and are more social, living in huge herds."

"Seals are less social, often solitary, and are more aquadynamic, so they crawl on land."

"So they sound different, look different and act different," David summarized.

"Sounds like the Crocogator Contest adventure all over again," Koki commented.

"I was thinking more of the Bass Class adventure," Jimmy pointed out. "You know, for the pointing out thing."

"Okay, I got it. Both Pinnipeds, but not exactly the same," Mina said. "So this little SEA LION is from that herd?"

"Yup. He came swimming from that direction." Martin pointed to the herd.

"Then this little guy, a seal, is from the herd down there," Elsa pointed out. A baby seal was with her.

"Wow, I don't ever think I've seen a seal and a sea lion so close before," Martin said. "We can see that due to the neck and ability, the sea lion is a bit bigger than the seal."

"Where are their moms?" Chris wondered.

"Follow-up question: what name should we give them?" Mina wondered. The baby seal started swimming around Elsa.

"Look at the flipping ability this buddy has. So I'll call him... Flip."

"Flip?" Martin asked. Then, the seal swam around him. "Any animal can flip in the water."

"And the sea lion with the flippy-flappy paws is Flap," Mina said. "Flip and Flap, the Pinnipeds."

"Okay, have it your way," Martin gave up. He couldn't say no to his little sister.

"Despite smelling a little, they are so cute," Elsa commented, cuddling the furry seal pup.

"Speaking of smell, look at their muzzles. They both have whiskers, like walruses," Mina analyzed.

"Yeah, but seals have crimped whiskers, and sea lions have longer and smoother whiskers," Chris pointed out.

"So much things sea lions and seals have of different… I can't keep myself! Gotta program some Creature Power suits!" Aviva decided. "Both Seal and Sea Lion!"

"Alright!" the bros cheered.

"Oh, no!" Mina gasped.

"Why? I thought you liked them."

"I like them, but not THAT!" She pointed out to storm clouds. The brothers gasped. The pups rushed to the nymphs' arms.

"Whoa, easy there, pups," Elsa tried to calm them down. "You'll be alright. We'll just get you to your moms and-"

"Elsa, incoming wave!" Mina feared. Flap started to swim away in fear. "Flap, wait!" She began swimming after the pup.

"Mina, come back! It's not safe!" Martin called.

"Martin, come on, it's almost here!" Aviva yelled. Mina reached the sea lion pup before he could hit a rock.

"Gotcha."

"Mina, look out!" Elsa warned. Too late: the wave crashed over the Tortuga HQ, covering the two nymphs.

"Elsa!" David screamed.

"Mina!" Martin and Chris gasped. As the wave disappeared, they saw the two were gone.

* * *

Carried by the water, Elsa struggled to find Mina and keep her body from drowning. She soon found the younger nymph nearly drowning, and swam to her direction, picking her up and placing her arm around her shoulder.

"Sister, are you okay?"

"*cough* I think so… But I don't think I can swim anymore..." Then, the two saw something under the sea, right beyond them. "What's that?"

"I don't know, but we better find a place to stay quick!" Elsa looked around. "There! That cave looks safe." Then, she saw the thing beyond them approaching quickly.

This made her swim as fast as she could to the cave, and the thing jumped over the water, revealing it to be an orca.

Luckily, Elsa reached the exact place just in time, gently placing Mina on the floor, as the girl coughed some more water out of her lungs.

"Thanks, sister."

"No problem. But I fear we can't go anywhere now," Elsa said, as she saw the orca leaving.

"Well, at least we're safe. And our Creaturepods are water proof," Mina pointed out, as she tried call her brothers. "Oh, I can't reach the H.Q. The thunderstorm is messing up the signal."

Then, they both heard a noise coming from deeper inside the cave. Flip and Flap had been carried by the wave with them.

"Aww… Looks like we're not the only castaways here."

"These poor little pups." Mina crawled to them. "Your families must be as worried as ours." Then, a thunderclap was heard, scaring the pups. "Don't worry, sweeties. We'll take care of you."

"Mina's right. The most important now is that we all remain together," the Time Nymph pointed out, then she stared at the thunderstorm. "I only hope they can find a way to find us..."

* * *

Back in the Tortuga, the team was worried sick about the situation.

"How could I let Mimi and Elsa get caught in that current?" Martin lamented.

"Come on, it's not your fault. We really weren't expecting that," Ventus comforted him. "What matters now is finding them."

"Are you sure you can't find even the slightest signal?" David asked the A.I. in so much worry.

 **"Yes, their Creaturepods can't get through wherever they're at."**

"If only we could scan the skies..."

"The storm won't let up for another hour," Koki said. "I only hope they found somewhere safe to stay..."

" **Well, there is a slight possibility that a cave is nearby this thunderstorm,"** M.A.T.I. pointed out. " **And according to the direction of the wave that hit the Tortuga, I believe they didn't go that far."** However, this comment didn't make the big brothers feel better.

"Thanks for trying," Aviva said.

* * *

Inside the cave, Mina and Elsa tried to warm themselves by making a fire. The Time Nymph had it a little easy since Flip was covered in fur.

"No fair," Mina pouted. "You got the furry, warm one? No offense, Flap." She caressed the sea lion pup. Then, she sneezed.

"Mina?"

"Ugh… guess I got a cold due to all that cold water." She sniffled. "My health's really fragile sometimes."

"Well, try to warm yourself." Elsa felt bad about her sister, and brought Flip close to her. Then, she saw the pups' faces.

"They look hungry. What do seals and sea lions eat? And do they eat the same stuff?" Mina wondered.

"I would think so since they live in the same environment," Elsa said. "I heard once from the brothers that it's called convergence."

"What does that mean?"

"I think they said it's when two different species in the same environment evolve with similar features. Of course, that's the science way."

"And why do seal pups have fur in the first place?" Mina asked.

"According to the brothers, a warmth reason, and also the reason why they're so chubby."

Then, both Flip and Flap saw something on the water outside the cave. Then, as a small wave hit the front of it, it brought two fish.

"Talk about luck," the hybrid commented. Their two Pinniped friends grabbed each other a fish.

"So both are carnivorous?" Elsa wondered. "We never would've guessed."

"They're in the same family. How WOULD we not guess?" The sisters chuckled.

"Hey, the storm's calming," Mina noticed. "Guess we can try calling the team again?"

"Let's use the time we have, before it starts to rain hard again," Elsa suggested. Mina tried to hold firmly her Creaturepod, but her cold was getting her really tired. "Uh… I'll do it. Get some rest."

* * *

The team was heavily asleep, except for David and Martin. The Kratt in blue yawned, and David rubbed his tired eyes.

 **"You two should really get some sleep,"** M.A.T.I. insisted. **"It's really late. As a program, I'll be fine. You two on the hand could collapse any moment."**

"M.A.T.I. is right," Aviva said, having woken up. "Look, go to your hammocks and get some sleep. I'll take your turn."

"You're a good friend, Aviva Corcovado," Martin yawned. As they headed to their hammocks, M.A.T.I. got a message.

" **A message! With a photo,"** she started reading it. " **Guys, we're okay, both me and Mina, and the Pinnipeds. Sorry we couldn't call, but the storm is ruining our signal, so I could only send a message. Think you can get the coordinates from it and find us tomorrow, when the storm's gone? XO, Elsa."**

"Chris, wake up," Aviva whispered, shaking him lightly.

"Huh? W-what? What happened?"

"They're safe, and we can locate them now. But the storm's pretty heavy, so we'll have to get them tomorrow."

"*sigh* What a relief. I know someone that will be very happy to hear the good news." He said, with a smile before going back to sleep.

* * *

Morning arrived near the cave. It was still sprinkling a little outside. Elsa and Mina were deep asleep in the cave, and so were the baby animals.

The faint light of the sun woke up the hybrid.

"Elsa?" she whispered. "The storm's ending. And it's already morning."

"*yawn* Good morning, sister. And good morning to you two," Elsa told the Pinnipeds. "Wow, you look a lot better."

"Sometimes, rest helps me regain strength. Why do you think I take so many naps?"

"That sure explains a lot."

"Uh-oh," Mina said as she looked outside.

"Oh, I don't like it when you say that." Elsa looked to where Mina was looking ast. "*gasp* Oh, no! Killer whales!"

"Martin told me that they are predators for both seal and sea lions. Sharks can eat seals and sea lions too, but those guys are like main predators. There's no way we can go out now."

The nymphs gulped, only hoping the team received the message.

* * *

Woken up and ready to find their sisters, Martin and David wore their CPS.

"I'm so glad they're safe. Now all we need to do is go get them."

"And this might help. Seal and Sea Lion Disks are ready." Aviva gave them the newly-made disks.

 **"Hey, slow down or you might become breakfast,"** M.A.T.I. warned. " **I just checked the area that the message came from and killer whales were detected around that area!"**

"Orcas?!" the Kratts gasped.

"Uh, she said killer whales," Ven pointed out in confusion.

"Killer whale is just another name for orca," Martin explained. "Besides, orcas aren't even whales, they're dolphins! But either name, they eat seals and sea lions!"

"One more reason for us both to go!" David added. "Now we just need to touch the creatures and rush to the rescue."

"Uh, that won't be easy," Koki said. "M.A.T.I.'s radar shows that both herds had moved farther away during the storm."

"But something was left behind on the spot they were," Chris pointed out. "No matter if it's a tooth, a claw or some fur, it's good enough."

" **Affirmative,"** M.A.T.I. agreed. " **I'm sending the fishcams to collect DNA."** The intelligent program turned on the cameras, letting the team view the beach.

Chris's hypothesis was right: there was leftover seal fur and a sea lion tooth. " **Collected. Ready to activate, guys?"** The two gave her a thumbs up.

As the fish cams arrived, the boys touched the respective DNA.

"Activate Seal Powers!"

"Activate Sea Lion Powers!"

In a flash and a hurry, the two entered the water and started diving.

* * *

Mina and Elsa backed up in fear, as the orcas rounded up by the cave.

"They're definitely after our Pinniped friends," Mina whispered.

'It's sad that big animals mostly target the weak babies," Elsa replied, holding Flip closer to her.

"Well, unfortunately it's the life cycle," Mina said. "Oh, I wish Martin and David were here..."

"Mina!"

"Elsa!"

"Look! I see something coming!" Elsa saw something swimming in their direction, too small to be an orca. "Martin and David! They found us!"

"The orcas are all around the cave. We need to get them out of the way." David saw the situation.

"On it!" Martin swam close to the killer whale."Yoo-hoo! Hey, orcas! Why don't you snack on something else than our sisters?" The orcas saw the blue seal and followed it, as he swam away. Meanwhile, David in a grey sea lion suit approached the cave entrance.

"Anyone up for a ride?" He offered.

"We are." Elsa picked up Flip, and Mina picked up Flap.

"Uh, they can swim, girls, you forget?"

"I know, but they're so cute!" Mina said, hugging Flap. Then, they saw Martin, surrounded by orcas.

"Uh… needing some help here, guys!" Then, he felt himself getting floated out of the water...by Mina!

"Wow, resting does wonders to you, sister," Elsa pointed out, as she floated Martin to where they were. The orcas only left, too confused to understand what just happened.

"Thanks, sis. I'm so happy you're okay!" Martin said.

"Not as happy as I am to see you!" Mina rushed to embrace him.

"Good news, everyone: we have them here!" David informed the team via Creaturepod.

" **We also have some good news, David. Follow the coordinates and you'll see,"** M.A.T.I. told him.

* * *

The Tortuga was parked in the water, nearby another spot on land, where both herds of sea lions and seals were. Flip and Flap rejoined their mothers.

"Well, that's mission accomplished alright," Aviva said, as the team observed the herds. "We reunited Flip and Flap with their families and Mina and Elsa with us."

"And we also learned how cool two different species from the same family can be. Pinnipeds are awesome!"

"You can say that again, bro." Mnia smiled. "You think we can visit them again someday?"

"Well, not in this same point. These herds of creatures are constantly moving away."

"But since we have some data of Flip and Flap's herds on our computers, it'll be not a problem to find them again."

"You hear that? We can see either of you anytime," Elsa said to a returning Flip.

"Maties, no time to dilly dally now! We have another location in our aim!" Aviva, back in her pirate costume, called.

"Aye aye, captain!" Mina saluted. "Come on, Elsa!"

Elsa gave the furry cutie a kiss on the forehead and rushed to join the crew.

"Farewell, Pinnipeds! Until next time!" Martin commented, as the Tortuga took off to leave.


End file.
